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There was some shocking news from the sport of stock car racing this weekend. Kyle Busch didn’t win a Sprint Cup race. What will all those conspiracy-minded fans, convinced that NASCAR overlooks some unexplained advantage in the No. 18 car, say about Kyle’s 15th-place finish?
That wasn’t Gatorade the crew chiefs were drinking from their water bottles during the race. It was Maalox. The stresses of being the decision maker for a team are great, but racing on tires with less stamina than a slab of butter in a hot skillet surely made the stress level much more intense. Pit crews could have used some of that famous Goodyear runflat technology at the Brickyard.
It was a shame that the second-most prestigious race on the Sprint Cup schedule became a series of heat races. I’m sure that many fans, especially the ones who paid good money to sit in the grandstands, wondered if this fiasco could have been avoided if someone had anticipated that the tire wear would have been so rapid. Tire testing in April at the track indicated that tire wear was an issue. But history has shown that, as a race progresses, a track will build up a layer of rubber, which decreases tire wear. As a result, I’m not sure NASCAR or Goodyear could have anticipated how severe the tire deterioration would be. I image we will see a mandatory test session between now and the next Sprint Cup race at the Brickyard.
Tony Stewart, in his comments from the car at the beginning of the race, had the best explanation for the cause of the excessive tire wear. He stated that the high center of gravity on the Car of Tomorrow resulted in more weight sifting to the right side of the car when compared to the old car. The obvious result being that the added weight was harder on the tires.
NASCAR was left with the only one option in this embarrassing situation. It had to make the race as safe as it could for the drivers.
Carl Edwards’ post-race interview, in which he praised the commitment of the fans, was a classy move.
I thought ESPN produced a good broadcast that was free of animated rodents, silly male banter and Bill Weber saying, “You don’t have to look it up because we already did.” I especially liked the interview with Richard Childress in the pre-race show, which revisited the personal and professional struggles Richard has grappled with since the death of Dale Earnhardt. But I did miss the humor and technical insight Kyle Petty brought to the broadcasts on TNT.
For anyone who may have missed it, below is video of the race finish.
ESPN's broadcast is horrible. They've got the wrong voices in the wrong spot (Allan Bestwick and Rusty Wallace should be in the booth), they lack someone who can convincingly explain the ins and outs of racing (a la Larry McReynolds) and what was up with their live checkered flag tracking (showing finishers 3 at a time on the top of the screen).
Most boring race I've ever watched but a decent finish. They've got to get some rubber down on the track next July before this happens again.
Disappointed in your YouTube selection — I would have much rather seen a replay of the birds getting run over on the restart, which I missed during the race.
NO, this was NOT a decent finish. A seven-lap "sprint" on a 2.5-mile track is NOT a decent finish. NASCAR should be embarassed and start looking for a replacement for Goodyear. How many races has Goodyear screwed up in just over the last two years? If I were buying tires for my car, I would steer clear of Goodyear at all costs.
If a tire company can't make a tire that lasts more than 12 laps on a track that NASCAR has been racing on for 15 years, change needs to be made immediately! NASCAR is lucky the drivers didn't boycott the race like the Formula One drivers did at Indy a few years back.
Rusty Wallace in the broadcast booth? You have to be kidding! He brings very little to the table. But ESPN does need someone like Larry McReynolds.
Couldn't find the bird shot at the time I posted this.
Not only does Ruaty not belong in the booth, considering the stunt he pulled this weekend he should be fired by ESPN. He told everybody he knew for a fact that Ryan Newman was fired by Penske Racing and the he didn't leave on his own. Then Roger Penske had to come out and say that Ryan Newman WAS NOT fired and that Rusty did not know what he was talking about.
There is no room in the broadcasts for Rusty and his personal vendetta against Ryan Newman and other drivers who kicked his tail the last few years of his career. Not to mention he's no good, which is why ESPN pulled him out of thye booth and gave him a limited role in the first place.
Did you see Ryan's comment about Rusty? He said he was very familiar with Rusty's "personalities."
Rusty's no DW... but he's certainly better than DJ, who is as exciting as watching mold grow on dry-aged beef.
DJ came off knowing more about the sport than Rusty. Rusty just talks and talks without saying anything valuable. Considering what ESPN had to work with, I think it did a good job. And I didn't have to hear DW yell "boogity, boogity, boogity."
I can't resist...........who's Ruaty?
I think Ruaty is the guy I used to have respect for before the comments on Ryan Newman the other day. Those comments just were not necessary, no matter what the personality conflicts.
I miss DW
Way to weigh in with something meaningful, fancan, and advance the discussion.
Hey, Mike ... what happened with the Indy car race in Las Vegas? I thought they were going to end the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway?
Well, judging from some info I received today, it seems that IndyCar wants to hold down costs. It was also announced today that the final IndyCar race of the season will be held at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.
I saw that about Homestead, but now they all have to end the season in Florida and then go all the way out to Las Vegas for the banquet. I thought they wanted to end the season the same time as the banquet. Doing it this way doesn't seem like it's saving them any money. I wonder what REALLY happened?
You're right, it doesn't make sense. I also wonder what the real reason is.
I know this is mostly about NASCAR, but it would be great if you can find out what happened with the Indy cars and LVMS and clue us all in. I've been looking all over and have seen nothing on why the race fell apart.